Approaching the end of its second week, the Great Campaign of 2011 is most striking for the shallowness of the debate.

Wait a minute, strike that. You can’t call a debate “shallow” unless there’s an actual debate. There’s no way you can use that word to describe what’s happening on Canada’s campaign trail, where the political discourse to date consists pretty much of “You’re a liar.” “Am not.” “Am too.”

As we can see online, millions worldwide know there's more that should concern us all than governments and the media usually reveal thanks to the great work of artists, authors, journalists, filmmakers, activists, patriots, bloggers and others whose info's been found and re-certified enough to make it worth anyone's time. That's the proof.

However, for 50 years the problem hasn't been the info itself, often based on rare news that's reported but not repeated, declassified documents and thousands of courageous anti-establishment experts, doctors, scientists, insiders, whistleblowers, politicians and others. It's just whether or not people will actually look at it. That's all.

Most people we historically admire the most have also consistently spoken truth to power in the best ways of their day, including religous figures. While it's not promoted much today, the latent feelings most adults still have when it comes to the perpetual struggle of people vs. power can be easily appealed to for inspiration and strength.

There is a strange credibility problem when random movie, game, website, travel, television, restaurant and other reviews, polls of just a few people and other micro-metrics can convince us to check something out. Alternative info that's co-signed by millions worldwide should be a no-brainer, but until it is, people still have work to do.

While people should continue to share dvd's, newsletters, posters, flyers, websites, videos and more; plus call talk radio shows, comment on articles, set up online and offline petitions, sneak signs on TV and more; these tactics alone may not work fast enough. So: perhaps more formal and interactive approaches can also help us out.

The humble community meeting, where people meet face-to-face to discuss things in-depth and in good humour, may deserve a comeback. When it comes defending Canadian interests as we descend deeper into the social, political, economic "new world order", we may need to create unique "safe spaces" to discuss all our options.

For the record, after working on the problems with globalization we face, or the "new world order" for years and seeing activism in Canada peak in 2007, this author is prepared to work with other Canadians to help coordinate local meetings nationally. Contact: vijay.sarma@gmail.com or 647-855-4744 to discuss options in more detail.

Positive thinking should mean thinking we can do something about serious issues, including helping others react in ways that help improve the system we're all a part of. As long as people have faith in their abilities to understand and communicate and those of others, it's consistent with our general desires to feel happy and optimistic.

Ironically, the less we know the more paranoid we are, including about the big picture and - thanks to decades of disaster movies and more apocalyptic apocrypha - the fact that we might all be "doomed" anyway. To combat socially engineered suicidal nihilism, it can help to meet, talk about and decode it and the big system behind it.

Creativity on important issues can also be nurtured by more positive and personal feedback-loops, or groups of people who support and encourage each other. While there's been lots of great work done, there's always room for more, especially locally to appeal to specific markets, so more means can be freely discussed in meetings.

Our communication skills are being weakened by our media, fast-paced culture, social networking tools and other "new normal" ways of interacting. Since dealing with threats from corrupt bankers, financiers, governments and corporations can be complex, it can help to have safe spaces where we can speak about them at length.

Unless people have regular discussions about what they learn, we don't think about it much, or learn to discuss issues consistently well enough to explain them to others. Meetings to discuss news, trends, politics, history and how best to use our time well to share what we agree people need to know can help everyone figure out how to.

People who stop discussing serious issues in serious ways may soon forget how to, so we need to try. Canadians usually get more credit for discipline than passion, but instead of getting soft, they can speak naturally on issues they're concerned about at local meetings and get more appropriately focused, angry and productive with others.

Dialectic methods, where nobody takes things personally, were used for centuries to help people figure things out, or extended question and answer sessions where the ultimate goal is to reach truth. While it's not common to discuss political issues in-depth in our cultures, local meetings can ensure a healthy dialectic is encouraged.

Message diffusion is key, or having the impact of serious political messages diffused over many listeners. It may be hard for one person to watch an anti-establishment concert with singers singing passionately, but it's easy in a crowd. Meetings can offer the same type of space so people don't feel personally threatened by what they hear.

Right now, it's not fashionable to take our most serious political issues seriously in most conversations, or bring up topics that aren't promoted by the mass media. This can lead to feelings of isolation among deep researchers who, like anyone else, can feel lonely based on how little they can talk about what they know and who they are.

Nearly everyone is in the same boat when it comes to our socially engineered social constipation, or people are more worried about what they're supposed to say than ever, which just makes us more paranoid about each other. Local meetings where people know they can speak freely can be a breath of fresh air to help transcend this.

Sharing info randomly with people is working, but efforts are also being negated by the fact that many people who randomly learn about the new world order with little personal contact may feel more isolated by their newfound knowledge because they, like most others, instinctively know not to bring it up, or get disparaged for doing so.

People usually want to do the right thing by staying informed, but the people at the top who know tons of info is being shared worldwide may count on it having the opposite effect of the one intended, or for the info to help disempower most people instead of empowering them. Meeting with like-minds who want to get active can counter this.

Local groups and individuals can network nationally for support, tactics and to help promote campaigns so everyone takes them seriously. They can share posters and flyers advertising their meetings at condo's, libraries, community centres, bars and elsewhere so more people can speak freely on issues they normally can't discuss.

Attendees can agree to record meetings and share the results, or just record the speakers, or have anonymous questions delivered on small pieces of paper, or any other permutations. Either way, people shouldn't worry too much. They should simply feel like it's been normal forever for people to get together to discuss their concerns.

Questions can also be anonymously or publicly accepted from the community at-large and debated in think tank-like meeting environments. Common concerns about parenting, relationships, education, debts and more can be answered in committee to help ensure the best possible answers, which can then be shared on and offline.

People who are "conspirienced", or who have experience in sifting through different conspiracy theories to find ones worth everybody learning about, can meet people who aren't in safe spaces where everyone can express themselves freely instead of just normally downplaying the importance of what they learn for social acceptance.

When everyone realizes everyone is basically "normal", with normal hopes, dreams, and goals in addition to different levels of interest in different topics, they'll realize how most people are basically living double-lives, or habitually saying less than they'd like to about what they really care about. This will help eliminate our social constipation.

Having safe spaces to discuss serious issues without feeling the social pressure to drop them, or to re-direct conversations to something lighter or funny, can also help build closer relationships locally. People of conscience and character can use them to find love, friends, jobs, connections and more to help others deal with tough times.

Groups of families, friends, acquaintences and more already exist, so once central networks of trusted people are established, representatives of these networks can arrange to speak with other groups where they live on specific issues. They can do it for free or a small fee and connect the best people with groups based on interests.

Many people are already "out" publicly on these issues and would be happy to try to help clarify things for fellow Canadians. If an estimated 10% of Canadians are awake to the historic central banking mafia push for global control, that may equal 3 million people, which is easily enough to have a few in each town and city arrange meetings.

The "post 9/11 world" of the 21st century seems fraught with more and more crises on a regular basis, so even if most dont want to pay attention now, it's important for people to know who they can turn to locally for explanations if they ever get worried. Nobody has all the answers, but people with more info can help others think of them.

Busy people also don't want to waste time, so the public purpose of meetings should be to figure out solutions everyone can use so they value them. Options on defence include finding the best health, wealth and relationship info to review. Options on offence include working on what to ask our elected representatives to work on for us.

Most Canadians are suspicious of at least one of the following: fluoride, vaccines, aspartame, GMO foods, cellphone radiation, the financial system, the sexualization of children, deliberate dumbing down by corporations and much more. They just need a place to clarify what's true and what's not with people they can learn to trust.

Once even a handful of individuals get together to promote ideas in our atomizing culture, it has an impact just because it's hard to do, so others can take it seriously. Tribal instincts to protect ones family, friends and community can be resurrected by appealing to different sub-groups to make sure they take care of their own people.

Ethnic and old-world cultures have values that should include fighting the info war if that's the best option people have to fight for our rights today. As long as people have pride in who they are and where they're from, then it can be appealed to and groups can compete to see who can inform and protect their self-identified allies the fastest.

Social re-stratification to counter corporate influence can also be accomplished at these meetings, or instead of just accepting the "tween" takeover of TV, fashion, sex and more sold by the coporate and feeling marginalized, adults can realize what's entertainment and what's real and re-assert their identities as leaders in our cultures.

Adult males age 25 - 45 who are old enough to know better and young enough to do better should also consider taking leadership roles on these issues, especially if it's hard to and they consider themselves tougher than women, children and the elderly, plus when they're being distracted, dumbed-down and disempowered by our media.

While everyone can fight the info war in their own ways, when it comes to the current conditions in Canada before 2012, which include governments declaring pandemics, recessions, health risks and martial law, it's important for more men to "man-up" and defend where they live like they have for thousands of years before they're unable to.

Since women are now being empowered by the corporate-state media more than men are, it's important to know why and understand the risks of going along with it. Both genders should get as informed and responsible as possible to help all of us counter the likely negative long-term effects of our pro-establishment socialization.

Relationships are the most important thing to the most people, so there's a moral component to fighting the info war that can help people determine the character of others. This is a classic metric based on historical reactions of people threatened by people in power, so people should protect each other to show they value each other.

Businesses can share info like flyers or dvd copies on their own, keep it at the front or back and disavow much knowledge of it if they want while just claiming to support local people getting active in general who ask for it. Owners should want to see more Canadians get informed to help push for better economic policy. It's smart business.

Endorsements can be arranged where appropriate to help promote both businesses and people working on these issues. Financial, in-kind, material and other support can help prospective anti-globalization political candidates, journalists, activists and others. Support networks throught towns and cities can be built to maintain efforts.

Crime, cancer, divorce and other skyrocketing rates in fragile democracies can be halved or better through actions in the infowar, like sharing info itself to help others make better choices, plus plans to possibly employ people to put it out, including students, unemployed youth and many others to keep them - and us - out of trouble.

Political connections can be more effective when they're made by lobbies which can be created by local meetings. Once more people get in the habit of working together to work with their politicians, police, bureaucrats and others on our most pressing issues, they'll be more easily resolved with the right kind of positive public pressure.

Schedules of upcoming dates and events can be created to figure out the best info to calmly and consistently share with fellow Canadians who may be interested. As long as intentions can be seen as at-worst harmless and at-best helpful, more actions in the infowar can be seen as normal or even necessary to help maintain free societies.

Worried people scared of the info, government, future and more should just realize that the best course of action is an empowering one. People don't have to take risks they calculate as unneccessary, but with thousands of Canadians active on these issues over the years and many publicly, "fear" itself is an unneccessary concern.

Most people looking into the "system" run by a shadow government realize it's based on lies, both internally and externally, that can be beaten by the truth, or accurate info. Once real explanations are popular anywhere, it's harder for people paid to lie to get away with it, including confusing others, inside and out, to go along with bad ideas.

There are no limits to the possibilities when people decide to get together and figure out what they can do together, especially in relatively free, educated, prosperous and technologically advanced countries like Canada. As long as people have the chance to get to know their neighbours and to discuss their concerns, they can be handled.

Finally, like other revolutionary and utopian visions, the idea of regular local meetings to help deal with the problems of globalization that threaten Canadians, our health, wealth, relationships, future and sovereignty may need some tinkering. And, the best place to tinker is, ironically, at local meetings with like-minds ready to figure it all out.

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Vijay Sarma is a journalist, artist and activist investigating globalization, how it affects people in Toronto, Canada and the World and what we can all do. He can be reached at vijay.sarma@gmail.com or 647-855-4744 or http://twitter.com/MayorVij and his website is WhatYouWantToBelieveIn.com. After a successful independent info war campaign running for Mayor of Toronto, he considered a run for MP in Toronto in the Spring and may try for MPP in October. Please contact him with any suggestions.

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Epilogue:

Scotiabank President and CEO Addresses 179th Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Outlines Challenges and Opportunities for Canada's Most International Bank

HALIFAX, April 5 /CNW/ - Having recorded record results in fiscal 2010, Scotiabank President and CEO Rick Waugh commented on regulatory reform, the importance of a strong corporate culture that includes sound risk management at all levels, and Scotiabank's positioning to take advantage of growth opportunities in his annual address to shareholders. Scotiabank holds its annual general meeting in its founding city of Halifax every second year.